Scared I won't be able to get into medical school

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Blueberry17

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I'm a high school senior, and I got into my top choice college early decision. It's a prestigious, academically rigorous liberal arts college, and now that the excitement has worn off, I'm deathly afraid I won't have high enough grades to get in. I'm African-American, I don't know if that will help me or not. What kind of grades are ideal for getting into medical school? How low could my grades be and still make it in?
 
First, congrats on your acceptance.

Second, change your attitude. If you feel that you won't be able to succeed in college you will develop a self-fulfilling prophesy and thus sabotage your own chances. Classes will be tough but approach college with a clear goal of succeeding in each class and with the discipline towards that end and you will be successful. This means a study plan, going to office hrs, tutoring, etc.

Third, being black is not going to be a 'get into medicine free' card. You will have to bust your but and keep good grades and get a high MCAT score. Just because you are a URM does not mean you get to slack off.

Hopefully that helps a bit and good luck!
 
So much more matters than strictly grades, so instead of stressing about what minimum grades you need, I would just focus on your studies and work your butt off in every class.
 
You haven't even started college yet. Don't worry about any of this right now. Applying to medical school won't be for another 3-4 years and that's at the earliest. Enjoy the next 5-6 months and then go into college with the mindset that you'll work hard in all of your classes to get the best possible grades you can.
 
eteshoe said:
First, congrats on your acceptance.

Second, change your attitude. If you feel that you won't be able to succeed in college you will develop a self-fulfilling prophesy and thus sabotage your own chances. Classes will be tough but approach college with a clear goal of succeeding in each class and with the discipline towards that end and you will be successful. This means a study plan, going to office hrs, tutoring, etc.

Third, being black is not going to be a 'get into medicine free' card. You will have to bust your but and keep good grades and get a high MCAT score. Just because you are a URM does not mean you get to slack off.

Hopefully that helps a bit and good luck!
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Some of the data begs to differ insofaras medical school admissions is concerned, if we're being honest here.
 
Don't ever settle for pretty good or solid. If you work your tail off and shoot for the stars you'll be happy with the results you get, and certainly get into medical school.
 
gyngyn said:
You're not helping.
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I'm being objective. I don't care to start an URM flame war, but the fact of the matter is that being URM, especially African American, definitely helps. I would be extraordinarily reassurred with where I am at right now if I were black, and trust me I'm in a pretty good spot. I'm just being honest. Being black doesn't mean I would work any less hard, but it would give me a sense of security knowing what I know.

I echo the sentiments of everyone else in here. Work hard and you will be fine. Remember GPA > everything. Good luck.
 
Cpt Ahab said:
I'm being objective. I don't care to start an URM flame war, but the fact of the matter is that being URM, especially African American, definitely helps. I would be extraordinarily reassurred with where I am at right now if I were black, and trust me I'm in a pretty good spot. I'm just being honest. Being black doesn't mean I would work any less hard, but it would give me a sense of security knowing what I know.
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OP is a high school senior. This is no place for a display of your personal frustrations.
 
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You should be scared of not getting into medical school. I wish someone told me how hard it was to get accepted before my sophomore year of college. Only about 40% of people get a single acceptance every year, and it's getting more and more competitive every year. By the time you apply the average GPA will be over 3.7 and the average MCAT score will be a 510+ for matriculants. Take it one step at a time, learn how to manage your time, get good grades and cultivate your interests. Don't forget to have fun during undergrad.
 
Blueberry17 said:
How low could my grades be and still make it in?
Click to expand...

I suppose it depends on a number of factors (MCAT, rigor of coursework, grade trends, etc.) - but you should just do your best. I think that I would tell my 18-year-old self to aim for a 3.75. You should try to protect your gpa...if you feel that you are struggling, or that you aren't able to balance some other aspect of your life with school, then it is better to take some time off from school then to get a semester or two of low grades. If you get a bad test score, or a bad grade in a course, don't stress out - just use it as a learning experience. Upperclassmen and medical students are also great resources for learning how to study effectively. Good luck!
 
Come back to us in three years, then we can advise you.
Blueberry17 said:
I'm a high school senior, and I got into my top choice college early decision. It's a prestigious, academically rigorous liberal arts college, and now that the excitement has worn off, I'm deathly afraid I won't have high enough grades to get in. I'm African-American, I don't know if that will help me or not. What kind of grades are ideal for getting into medical school? How low could my grades be and still make it in?
Click to expand...
 
Hey, OP. I remember when I was in your position as a high school senior. I was accepted into an incredibly rigorous top 5 school, and as a first generation college student, I had so many doubts as to whether I would be able to succeed there. While it has been a challenge, I found that to my surprise I was able to rise to the challenge and compete at a level I never thought possible. You will be able to do so too, as long as you hang in there and try to have a positive attitude, even when things get tough.

Also, going to a top tier undergrad opens so many doors -- even if you later decide you don't want to become a doctor, you will have many more options that you probably never knew existed. Good luck!
 
Cpt Ahab said:
Where did I say I'm frustrated? I'm simply pointing out the fact that I would feel more secure.
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Your security has nothing to do with OP!
 
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Cpt Ahab said:
I gave a personal account that relates to the original post. But believe what you want. (and yell it too lol)
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I believe your personal account had little to do with helping OP and would be better placed in a socio-political forum, not here.
This should be a safe place for those considering medicine to come for advice and support. Help us make that true. If you have a personal problem that does not help OP, work it out on your own thread.
 
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gyngyn said:
I believe your personal account had little to do with helping OP and would be better placed in a socio-political forum, not here.
This should be a safe place for those considering medicine to come for advice and support. Help us make that true. If you have a personal problem that does not help OP, work it out on your own thread.
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I think you just want to be right. I don't have a personal problem. I was just pointing out a fact. A safe place? So one can't be honest here? I think you're making my posts out to be more than they are. Relax.
 
Cpt Ahab said:
Some of the data begs to differ insofaras medical school admissions is concerned, if we're being honest here.
Click to expand...

Cpt Ahab said:
I think you just want to be right. I don't have a personal problem. I was just pointing out a fact. A safe place? So one can't be honest here? I think you're making my posts out to be more than they are. Relax.
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You sound bitter and uninformed. Being black isn't going to guarantee him a free acceptance anywhere. Take your frustrations elsewhere.
 
OP, congratulations on your acceptance!!! LACs are awesome for their small class environments. I love gyngyn's idea about setting up an appointment with your school's learning center for advice on study skills. Never hesitate to reach out to your professors if you need help with anything. If you ever have any questions about the app process, feel free to post in the forums here. Good luck!!!
 
starspells said:
You sound bitter and uninformed. Being black isn't going to guarantee him a free acceptance anywhere. Take your frustrations elsewhere.
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I'm not going to contribute to the derailing of this thread, and you're not adding to the conversation either. You can PM me and tell me how I am misinformed and copy and paste where I said he will get in solely based on his race. Thanks.
 
ZedsDed said:
Curious what you mean
Click to expand...

Excellent teachers - which helps in gaining a mastery of the material

Small class size to prof ratio - helps develop a good relations with the profs and classmates. Learn to work in a team based environment and get involved with research early on.

Other unique opportunities - LACs and other small schools always have some pretty unique opportunities that they try to sell over larger institutions - these may include special abroad programs, research opportunities or something along those lines

And overall at many small institutions, the focus is on providing a solid UG training (as opposed to research output at many larger institutions) - so there are many resources in place that are available to help the students succeed.

These are some of the things I noticed from one of my siblings' education at a LAC.
 
Blueberry17 said:
What kind of grades are ideal for getting into medical school? How low could my grades be and still make it in?
Click to expand...

You can take a look at this chart to get a very rough approximation of the type of stats that can lead to success in getting into an MD school for you.

https://www.aamc.org/download/321514/data/factstablea24-2.pdf

The average African American MD matriculant had a 3.47 cGPA 3.35 sGPA and 27 on the MCAT.

IF you want to know what these MCAT scores mean in terms of percentiles(note there is a new MCAT now with a different scoring scale) take a look at this
https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...7a4/finalpercentileranksfortheoldmcatexam.pdf
 
Just do as well as you possibly can. Utilize the resources that are available to you and participate in activities that interest you. Don't let your worries about med school drive your decisions about college now because you don't even know you'll want to go into medicine in a few years.
 
neekzg said:
Just do as well as you possibly can. Utilize the resources that are available to you and participate in activities that interest you. Don't let your worries about med school drive your decisions about college now because you don't even know you'll want to go into medicine in a few years.
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I tell people that if they decide to pursue university they should get the best grades as possible. You have almost unlimited possibilities with a good GPA.
 
Don't think of how low you can go and still make it, aim for your best.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
It's far to early to be worrying about this. Stop being neurotic, enjoy college and aim for the highest grades you can. That's all you can do.
 
ZedsDed said:
Curious what you mean
Click to expand...

eteshoe said:
Excellent teachers - which helps in gaining a mastery of the material

Small class size to prof ratio - helps develop a good relations with the profs and classmates. Learn to work in a team based environment and get involved with research early on.

Other unique opportunities - LACs and other small schools always have some pretty unique opportunities that they try to sell over larger institutions - these may include special abroad programs, research opportunities or something along those lines

And overall at many small institutions, the focus is on providing a solid UG training (as opposed to research output at many larger institutions) - so there are many resources in place that are available to help the students succeed.

These are some of the things I noticed from one of my siblings' education at a LAC.
Click to expand...

Nailed it.

If I had a question, I emailed the prof or dropped by their door whenever I felt like it. My classes were taught by them and not grad students in the sciences. I'm still in touch with many of them via email/facebook/what have you and often drop by for lunch or to say hi if I'm driving by town.

I wouldn't call myself an outstanding student either. They were just genuinely interested in all of our success. They also loved to teach, which helps.

Here's a link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorz...-are-great-for-science-students/#4d2f37387bb9

It's obviously biased given who wrote it, but I think it sums up how I felt in school pretty well. A lot of my friends from school went on to powerhouse research institutions for their PhD's and a pretty large number of us ended up going to med school/vet school/whatever.
 
Blueberry17 said:
I'm a high school senior, and I got into my top choice college early decision. It's a prestigious, academically rigorous liberal arts college, and now that the excitement has worn off, I'm deathly afraid I won't have high enough grades to get in. I'm African-American, I don't know if that will help me or not. What kind of grades are ideal for getting into medical school? How low could my grades be and still make it in?
Click to expand...

Aim for at least a 3.6, obviously the higher the better, but you may get a little slack from schools since I assume you go to a top school with lots of smart students. At the end of the day, simply try your hardest to get As in every class, and if you have a crap GPA at the end, there's nothing you could have done better.

Also, you are an URM which, right or wrong, will boost you a lot no matter where you go. Schools like Meharry and Howard will take incredibly low stats applicants, so even if you bungle things quite a bit you still have a good shot. You could get a 3.2-3.3 and still have a great shot at several schools. If you do well in Undergrad 3.8+/512+ you will probably have your choice of many schools as they will be fighting fiercely over the few high stat URM students.

My end advice is to do your best and DO NOT rely on URM status to get you in, however if things don't go well you'll still always have the URM card that will greatly help in getting in somewhere.
 
Dermpire said:
Aim for at least a 3.6, obviously the higher the better, but you may get a little slack from schools since I assume you go to a top school with lots of smart students. At the end of the day, simply try your hardest to get As in every class, and if you have a crap GPA at the end, there's nothing you could have done better.

Also, you are an URM which, right or wrong, will boost you a lot no matter where you go. Schools like Meharry and Howard will take incredibly low stats applicants, so even if you bungle things quite a bit you still have a good shot. You could get a 3.2-3.3 and still have a great shot at several schools. If you do well in Undergrad 3.8+/512+ you will probably have your choice of many schools as they will be fighting fiercely over the few high stat URM students.

My end advice is to do your best and DO NOT rely on URM status to get you in, however if things don't go well you'll still always have the URM card that will greatly help in getting in somewhere.
Click to expand...
 
gyngyn said:
You're not helping.
Click to expand...
You're right, let's lie to new black SDNers about the stats they need in order to make them work hard...

Instead, why don't we just objectively disseminate information, and allow people to use it as they may?
 
I was definitely a neurotic freshman and there's nothing wrong with being worried and planning for your goals now- as long as you aren't allowing yourself to get freaked out or drawing conclusions yet (I.E. "I got one B freshman year. Am I screwed forever???"). The best thing I did freshman year (also a small liberal arts college) was start going to office hours right away and developing a relationship with my professors. Sure, I probably seemed a little over-eager and concerned, but they were all super helpful with study tips, general discussions of the subject, and personal stories about their experience. You know you need to try your hardest to earn whatever GPA and MCAT score you can. And as you go, people here can help advise you, but make sure to talk to your academic support center and pre-med advisors first

Also @gyngyn 's advice to treat college like work is spot on. You have a ton of free time outside of class. If you make it a 9-5 (or equivalent) work schedule, it's easier to stay on top of everything
 
Blueberry17 said:
I'm a high school senior, and I got into my top choice college early decision. It's a prestigious, academically rigorous liberal arts college, and now that the excitement has worn off, I'm deathly afraid I won't have high enough grades to get in. I'm African-American, I don't know if that will help me or not. What kind of grades are ideal for getting into medical school? How low could my grades be and still make it in?
Click to expand...

I think much of the advice is spot-on. At this juncture, I would not worry right now about what GPA you need to get into medical school, but rather I would do my best to try to get as many A's as you can and start some appropriate extracurricular activities. Yes, medical school applications are competitive, but the only control you have over the situation at this point is how you perform in your undergraduate coursework.
 
haaaaaaaaaaveyoumetted said:
I was definitely a neurotic freshman and there's nothing wrong with being worried and planning for your goals now- as long as you aren't allowing yourself to get freaked out or drawing conclusions yet (I.E. "I got one B freshman year. Am I screwed forever???"). The best thing I did freshman year (also a small liberal arts college) was start going to office hours right away and developing a relationship with my professors. Sure, I probably seemed a little over-eager and concerned, but they were all super helpful with study tips, general discussions of the subject, and personal stories about their experience. You know you need to try your hardest to earn whatever GPA and MCAT score you can. And as you go, people here can help advise you, but make sure to talk to your academic support center and pre-med advisors first

Also @gyngyn 's advice to treat college like work is spot on. You have a ton of free time outside of class. If you make it a 9-5 (or equivalent) work schedule, it's easier to stay on top of everything
Click to expand...

Excellent advice! If you start out serious and stay on top of your game from the beginning, you will be able to stay in good standing. Give yourself one party night per week to start with and make college your 8:00 am - 10:00 pm mission. Add more party time once you know you can, but build up; don't ramp down. No, you don't want to work every minute of that 8-10 stretch, but find your most productive work times and set those aside for actual work. For me, it was 8:00 am to 10:00 am -- no fun happening then, so nothing really sacrificed and I was able to churn through a lot of work during those two hours a day when my brain was fresh and many of my classmates were sleeping. 4:00 to 6:00 pm was also a highly-productive time.

Don't neglect friendships and fun - especially the first 2-3 weeks - but if you want to get into medical school, you'll need to stay on top of your academics. Prioritize. No one who matters will ding you for having your priorities straight.

Where many URM, lower SES or 1st generation students get into trouble is that their secondary schools didn't adequately prepare them for college-level work. If you find this applies to you, get into the learning center ASAP (or whatever they call it there) and get the remedial help you need to catch up. It absolutely doesn't mean you're less capable; just that you were less-advantaged. Also consider dropping a class and taking a relatively light course load until you get up to full speed. If it means summer school or graduating in five years instead of four - that's not a problem. Just so long as it doesn't tank your GPA.

And congratulations! If you keep your eyes on the prize, you'll be fine.
 
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